I waved a shaking hand at her. “You would’ve gotten out of there. Lauren would’ve dragged you out by the hair if she had to.”
Lauren was doing plenty of her own shaking. She looked down at her hands and shook them out. “I don’t know. I froze. We all froze. I’ve never been shot at before. Jesus, that was terrifying.”
I nodded. “I’m not a fan, either. I think we should get that drink we’re always talking about.”
Elizabeth put her hand over her stomach and bit her lip. “I can’t even drink this away. I’m pregnant.”
Lauren jerked at my side. “What?”
“I haven’t told Branson yet. I was waiting for some big event, but I think this might’ve been it. I have to call him.” Tears filled her eyes and she pulled a phone out of her bra.
The door into the hallway was yanked open and several of us screamed, just to be met with a handful of police officers. I’d never been so happy to see them. Lauren suddenly screamed, alarming the officers enough that a few of them pulled their guns.
“You’re pregnant!” She pulled Elizabeth into her arms and rocked her back and forth. “You’re going to have a baby! A baby!”
“I’m going to have a baby!”
I felt like I was four thousand miles away, detached from the happiness that they were both experiencing. I was still shaking and I felt like I’d never stop. I smiled when Lauren looked at me, but I was somewhere else. I was trying to figure out how to stay alive. Babies were so far from my radar.
Elizabeth was suddenly crying on the phone and Lauren was crying next to me. I smiled at her again and she shook her head. “Sorry. I know that you probably have very different things on your mind right now. I’m just so happy for her.”
I nodded. “No, I’m sorry. I brought this to you. I was only here today because I wanted to ask your advice on handling this. I almost got you both killed. All three of you.”
“You want advice, you’ll get it. We’re going to the office.” She looked up at the cops who were just starting the process of talking to everyone. “Right after we finish up here. The guys will be able to help.”
“I should just go.” More panic was setting in and I could feel the walls closing in on me. “I’ve done more than enough here.”
“Hush, Cookie. You’re coming with me. Did you drive here?”
I shook my head. “I had to leave the car behind.”
“Behind where?”
“At my house. When Frank’s men broke in and I had to run.”
Her eyes went wide and she shook her head. “No, no. You’re coming with me. We’re going to go to the office and see what the guys think you should do.”
Elizabeth looked over. “Branson is coming here to get me. He’s freaking out about the shooting. He says I’m always getting into trouble. It wasn’t even my fault this time.”
“And about the pregnancy?”
She blinked back more tears. “He cried. He’s happy.”
Lauren stood up and helped us both to our feet. “Of course he is. You go home with your man and I’m taking Cookie to the office to talk to the rest of the guys.”
A cop stopped next to us and held out his hands. “No one is going anywhere just yet, ladies. We’ve got to ask you some questions.”
I tightened my ponytail. “Call Detective McHale. Tell him that Cookie was shot at by Frank Porter’s men. He’ll know what you’re talking about. He’ll probably want to come down for this.”
It got me a look, but sure enough, forty minutes later, McHale came strolling into the gym, looking like he’d rather be anywhere but there. The cops had gotten statements from most of the women, so the crowd had thinned out.
As soon as McHale saw me, he shook his head. “I told you.”
I frowned. “That’s helpful.”
“Did you see anyone? Can you pick anyone out in a lineup?”
I gritted my teeth together and shook my head.
“I’m betting none of you can. There’s no security cameras on this street, either. We’ll canvas and talk to neighbors to see if they saw anything, but no one else is going to be stupid enough to cross Porter, like you.”
I shook my head. “Isn’t it normal for you to offer protection in situations like this?”
He laughed. “You think we’ve got time to babysit you? We’re too busy running all over this city trying to solve real crimes.”
“And my death wouldn’t be a real crime?”
“Well, it wouldn’t be a real hard one to figure out, now, would it?”
Lauren took my arm. “Let’s go.”
McHale looked at her and his smile took a creepy turn. “Look at that. You’re hanging out with other murderers.”
Lauren’s face turned red and she stepped closer. “You shouldn’t have a badge, you absolute joke. We’re leaving. You’re useless and Cookie needs actual help. From real men who know how to protect people. Asshole.”
Chapter 11
Vince
“Where the fuck are they? They should already be here.” Mercer paced the floor in front of the door to the front parking lot and glared out the windows.
I felt just as agitated, but I hated it. I didn’t like the ants-crawling-down-my-spine I was experiencing, or the reason it was happening. Anxiety. Over the safety of a woman who’d just given me a lap dance. That was the extent of our relationship. “Fuck.”
“What? Did they text you? What is it?”
I growled and pushed off of the wall I’d been leaning on. “You’re driving me crazy. Calm down!”
Tucker snorted. “Says the guy who’s been vibrating with tension since we heard about the shooting. What’s your deal here?”
I wanted to punch him in the face, too. They were all getting on my nerves. “Fuck off.”
Mercer exploded out of the building and raced across the parking lot before I had a chance to process that Lauren’s car was pulling into the lot. He didn’t even let Lauren park before he opened her door and started checking her over. For a man who said she drove him fucking crazy, it sure looked like he cared a whole hell of a lot.
Then I heard him utter the words that I was sure made everyone wince. “I’d never forgive myself if I let anything happen to Luke’s little sister.”
Lauren shoved Mercer away from her and slammed her door shut. The sound of her engine revving was impressive as she raced around the side of the building, towards the back parking lot.
Tucker swore. “Great job, fuckhead.”
“Yeah—way to piss her off, dumbass. What the fuck was that? Luke’s little sister?” I shook my head. “Sometimes I think you do that shit just to make her mad.”
Mercer swore violently before storming back inside the office. We followed after him, both of us rolling our eyes at him.
Lauren was just coming inside the back door when I got to the back of the office. She glared at Mercer and then I lost track of her as Carolina followed her inside.
Wearing leggings that were so tight they looked painted on and a top that barely covered all of her chest, she was sex walking. With her bare face, I could see the freckles across her nose and cheeks from where I stood. Her hair was pinned to the top of her head and swung around when she walked. It was like someone had seen all of my wet dreams and sent Carolina to me.
My body’s reaction to seeing her in real life, away from the club and all the theatrics that went with it, was just as intense as when I’d first seen her. I wanted to drag her into the bathroom and fuck her senseless against the sink.
Tucker smacked me and cleared his throat. “Dude, you’re fucking staring.”
“No shit. How could I not?” I shoved him away from me and walked towards her.
Carolina’s eyebrow quirked when she saw me. That full lower lip tilted up on one side and she tilted her head just enough for that long ponytail to fall over her shoulder. “Small world, huh?”
Lauren looked back at Carolina and then at me. “You two know each other?”
“We met at
work?” Carolina grinned when she said it and the confidence she projected as she cocked her hip out to the side did me in.
Lauren turned to me and smacked my arm. “Stop being a pervert. She’s my friend and she needs our help.”
I nodded. “I’d say. I’ve been looking for you. I heard about what happened and figured you could use some help.”
Mercer stepped into the little group of us and held his hands up. “What’s going on?”
Lauren stiffly nodded at Carolina and then at Mercer. “Meet Cookie. Cookie, meet Mercer. Cookie and I are in the same yoga class. Frank Porter is trying to kill her.”
“You’re the one who shot Porter’s kid?”
Carolina sighed. “He attacked me. I did what I had to.”
“Of course. Come on, Cookie. We’ll get you settled on the couch and we’ll talk about everything before we figure out how to help.”
When Lauren took Carolina’s hand, I couldn’t help but notice how Carolina’s hand shook. Looking harder, I could see she was obviously shaken. Still able to put on a confident front, she hid everything well.
“Are you okay?”
Her eyes met mine as she blew out a slow breath. “Yeah. It’s just a little shooting.”
Mercer groaned. “A little shooting?”
“Cookie is my hero. She fucking went into superhero mode and started shoving people away from the windows. She was flying around the room like Lara Croft.”
Something throbbed at the back of my head, but I ignored it. “Did you see anything?”
“Not anything helpful. I caught a glimpse of the sun bouncing off the metal of a gun. I saw it just in time to tell people to get down. I didn’t have time to see past it, though.”
Lauren pulled Carolina down next to her on the couch. “It doesn’t matter. You know who’s shooting at you. Whether you saw a face or not, you know it was Porter.”
“They broke into my house, too. In the middle of the night. I just happened to be up for a few minutes and heard them.” Sighing, she rubbed her hands down her thighs. “What a mess.”
Tucker stepped closer to her and held out his hand. “I’m Tucker. You obviously know Vince. The angry one is Mercer. We’ll help. Porter is nothing but a bully and I can’t stand that shit.”
“I wouldn’t say nothing but a bully… He shot at her.”
“He shot at you, too.” Mercer shook his head at Lauren. “And Elizabeth.”
“Whatever. He was aiming for Cookie.” Lauren took Carolina’s hand in her own and squeezed it. “We’re going to take care of you. Have you gone back to your house?”
“No. It didn’t seem smart.”
“Smart girl.” Tucker nodded at her and I felt like slapping the shit out of the back of his head.
“Girl?” Carolina smiled at Lauren and stood up. “Look, I’m fine to take care of myself. I don’t need help. I don’t want to drag anyone else into it, either. It’s bad enough that I almost got you and Elizabeth shot.”
“It is. It’s too late, though. We’re in it.” Mercer was staring down at Lauren with a look that just about scalded the rest of us standing too close.
“You don’t have to be.” Stepping around Tucker, Carolina lightly gripped my arm and smiled. “It was good seeing you again.”
Maybe I was an asshole, but I couldn’t just let her walk away. Sure, she probably could handle it on her own. There wasn’t much I figured she couldn’t handle. I wasn’t going to let her, though. I caught her wrist and pulled her to a stop. “You have to let us help you.”
Her eyes flashed. “I actually don’t.”
Lauren came to my aid. “Please, Cookie. Let us help. It’s too dangerous.”
“Which is exactly why I’m not going to bring anyone else into the mess. I shot Porter’s kid. I—I killed him.” The way her voice broke just the slightest bit revealed just how she really felt about it. “It’s my problem.”
“Actually, it’s more than your problem now.” Mercer gripped the back of Lauren’s neck and I watched as she shivered. “He shot at a member of Black Dog Security. He made it our problem. We’re taking over. You’ll have security and we’ll handle whatever he sends your way.”
“Excuse me?” Carolina stood taller and narrowed her eyes. “You’re not just going to tell me what’s going to happen to me.”
“Do you want to die?”
Slightly seeing red, I stepped forward. “Cool it.”
“You want your girlfriend to turn down our help and get gunned down by Porter? Or worse, grabbed up and tortured?”
“What I want is to not threaten her into taking our help. That seems a little counterproductive.” I looked back at Carolina and forced a smile. “See? We can play nice?”
She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “It’s fine. Your buddy’s a jerk, but he’s not hurting my feelings. I just can’t accept your help.”
“Then pay us.” Lauren stepped in. “Pay us whatever you want and you can sleep comfortably knowing that we’re not just helping you and that you’re not going to be attacked without someone there to stop it.”
Carolina looked away and tugged at her ponytail. An explicit image fluttered into my mind involving that ponytail and I had to shove it away as she sighed. “I can’t. Thank you for your offer. I really do appreciate it. Maybe I’ll reconsider if things get worse.”
I could tell that she didn’t mean that. She’d never come back to us and ask for help. I held up my hands as Mercer tried to talk again. “I’ll give Carolina a ride home.”
“Vince—”
I put my hand in the middle of Carolina’s back and gently pushed her towards the back door. “We can’t force someone to take our help.”
Lauren scowled at me. “Well, you don’t have to rush her out before we can talk to her!”
I gave her a look. I had every intention of forcing Carolina to take our help. I was just going to do it in my own way. “She said no. I’ll be back later before going for my shift at Jade’s.”
They seemed to get my hint and backed off. I led Carolina out to my truck and opened the passenger door for her.
She put one long leg on the step rail and looked back at me. “I know what you’re doing. You’re going to try to charm me into accepting your help.”
I grinned. “You find me charming?”
“Unfortunately. That doesn’t matter, though. I’m not accepting your help. You can drive me to the corner of Mass and Burgpoint. That’s as far as we go together, though.”
I gripped her waist and lifted her into the truck. Letting my hands linger on her warm skin, I leaned into the truck and winked at her. “If that isn’t the saddest sentence ever spoken aloud, I don’t know what is.”
She pushed me out, but there was the slightest hint of a smile on her lips. “Just get in and drive me to where I need to go.”
“Fine, but I’m not going away that easily.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.”
I pulled back and hesitated. “You know who else isn’t going away that easily, don’t you?”
Her lips turned down in a pout and when she looked at me, she looked scared for a second. Then she blinked it away and gave me a curt nod. “I know. The one person I shoot in the entire eight years I’ve owned that stupid gun and look where it gets me.”
“Let me help.”
She pulled that ponytail out of her hair and let it all fall down around her shoulders and chest. “I can’t.”
“You really can.” I felt like I was seconds away from begging, but I also felt like she was seconds away from being killed by Porter. It made me feel desperate and left an itch at the back of my neck that I couldn’t scratch.
“Will you just drive, Vince?” She gripped my forearm and looked up at me with pleading eyes. “Please.”
I swore and nodded. “Sure. Buckle up.”
I didn’t have a plan for what I was going to do, yet, but I couldn’t let her walk away. I didn’t know what it was about her, but I knew that we weren�
�t done with each other.
Chapter 12
Cookie
I walked to the club, not really sure where else to go. It wasn’t late enough for the club to be busy, but Steve was in. He was just greedy enough that he wasn’t willing to lose the money he got from me. Frank Porter wanting to kill me or not, Steve wanted me working. He didn’t think Porter would come back to the club, anyway.
I didn’t know what to think, but I needed someplace to be. The View was as safe as anywhere else, I figured. At least the club had security. Not that I expected them to jump in front of flying bullets if Frank came in shooting. I fully expected to be on my own if that happened.
For the millionth time, I cursed myself for not taking the help from Vince and Lauren when they’d offered it. I could’ve been sitting safely somewhere at that exact moment, not worried about when Frank might walk in. Possibly even better, I could’ve been staring at Vince. Probably not the best idea, but he was so hot. It would be such a nice distraction.
I wasn’t scheduled to dance, so I worked the bar all night. I still wore small clothes and danced when I needed to for a tip, but I felt safer with the large wooden bar top separating me from the crowd. The hours ticked by and I exhaled a little more with each one that Frank didn’t show up.
I worked hard and did everything I could to make bigger tips. I needed to get my money together and move on. It felt like The View was closing in on me. I wanted my own place.
It was close to two in the morning when I looked up and found Vince at the bar in front of me. I’d been watching the door pretty closely and I wasn’t sure how I’d missed him come in, but there he was.
“You came to work?” He looked amazed. “Someone wants to kill you and you’re still working?”
I opened a beer and handed it off to a waiting customer before stopping in front of Vince. “I still have to live my life. What am I supposed to do?”
“Seek shelter until the storm passes?”
“What makes you think it’s going to pass? The cops aren’t going to do anything to stop Porter. Porter isn’t just going to wake up one morning and decide to forgive me. I can’t just wait forever until he dies of old age.”
Black Dog Security- Complete 5-Part Series Page 54